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Yankees Timeline

1900s

Jan. 9, 1903: Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchase the defunct Baltimore franchise of the American League for $18,000 and then move the team to Manhattan.

Mar. 12, 1903: The New York franchise is approved as a member of the American League. The team will play in a hastily constructed, all-wood park at 168th Street and Broadway. Because the site is one of the highest spots in Manhattan, the club will be known as the "Highlanders" and their home field "Hilltop Park."

Apr. 22, 1903: The Highlanders play their first game, a 3-1 loss at Washington.

Apr. 23, 1903: The Highlanders record the first win in franchise history, a 7-2 decision at Washington. Harry Howell recorded the win.

Apr. 30, 1903: The Highlanders notch a 6-2 win vs. Washington in their inaugural home opener at Hilltop Park.

1910s

Apr. 11, 1912: Pinstripes first appear on Highlanders' uniforms, creating a look that would become the most famous uniform design in sports.

April, 1913: The Highlanders are officially renamed the "Yankees" after moving to the Polo Grounds, home of the National League's New York Giants.

Sept. 30, 1927: Babe Ruth breaks his own Major-League record with his 60th home run on the season's final day.

Apr. 20, 1928: The Yankees' sixth season at Yankee Stadium opens with the left-field stands enlarged to three decks.

Apr. 16, 1929: The Yankees become the first team to make numbers a permanent part of the uniform (numbers would become standard for all teams by 1932).

Sept. 25, 1929: Manager Miller Huggins, who guided the Yankees to their first six A.L. pennants and three World Championships, dies of blood poisoning.

1930s

June 3, 1932: Lou Gehrig becomes the first player to hit four home runs in a single game in the Yankees' 20-13 win at Philadelphia. He remains the only Yankee to hit four home runs in one game.

July 14, 1934: Babe Ruth hits the 700th home run of his career off Tommy Bridges in the second inning of a 4-2 Yankees' win at Detroit's Navin Field.

Nov. 21, 1934: The Yankees purchase Joe DiMaggio from the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League for $50,000.

Apr. 20, 1937: The Yankees' 15th season at Yankee Stadium opens with the right-field stands enlarged to three decks. The wooden bleachers are replaced by a concrete structure with the distance to center field dropping from 490 to 461 feet.

May 30, 1938: A franchise-record crowd of 81,841 attends a doubleheader sweep of the Boston Red Sox.

May 2, 1939: Lou Gehrig's playing streak of 2,130 consecutive games ends when he does not make an appearance in a 22-2 Yankees' win at Detroit. Babe Dahlgren plays first base for the Yankees and contributes a double and a home run.

July 4, 1939: "Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day" is held at Yankee Stadium. His uniform number (4) is the first to be retired in Major League Baseball and Gehrig makes his famous "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech.

1940s

May 15, 1941: Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak begins with a single off Edgar Smith in a 13-1 loss vs. Chicago at Yankee Stadium.

June 2, 1941: Lou Gehrig dies of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis at the age of 37.

July 17, 1941: Joe DiMaggio's consecutive-game hitting streak ends at 56 when he goes 0-for-3 in a 4-3 Yankees' win at Cleveland. Indians' third baseman Ken Keltner twice robs DiMaggio of hits with great fielding plays. DiMaggio then hits in the next 16 straight games to give him hits in 72 of 73 games.

Jan 25, 1945: Dan Topping, Del Webb and Larry MacPhail purchase the Yankees for $2,800,000 from the estate of the late Col. Jacob Ruppert. MacPhail replaces Ed Barrow as President and General Manager.

May 28, 1946: The first night game is played at Yankee Stadium and the Yankees suffer a 2-1 loss vs. Washington before 49,917 fans.

Apr. 27, 1947: "Babe Ruth Day" is celebrated throughout Major League Baseball.

June 13, 1948: Babe Ruth's uniform number (3) is retired at Yankee Stadium's 25th Anniversary celebration. The Babe makes his final Stadium appearance.

1950s

Sept. 28, 1951: In Game One of doubleheader vs. Boston at Yankee Stadium, Allie Reynolds tosses his second no-hitter of the season (he had previously no-hit the Indians at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland on July 12).

Dec. 12, 1951: Joe DiMaggio officially announces his retirement.

Apr. 17, 1953: Exactly two years after his Yankee debut, Mickey Mantle hits what is recognized as the game's first "tape-measure" home run, a 565-foot clout off the Senators' Chuck Stobbs at Washington's Griffith Stadium.

Oct. 5, 1953: The Yankees win a record fifth consecutive World Championship.

Oct. 8, 1956: Don Larsen hurls the only perfect game in World Series history, a 2-0 win over Brooklyn in Game Five at Yankee Stadium.

1960s

Oct. 1, 1961: Roger Maris hits his 61st home run in the season's final game to establish a Major-League record.

June 24, 1962: Jack Reeds two-run, 22nd-inning home run ends the longest game in Yankee history, a 9-7 win at Detroit.

Aug. 1, 1975: Billy Martin replaces Bill Virdon for his first of five stints as manager.

Apr. 15, 1976: Remodeled Yankee Stadium opens with an 11-4 win over Minnesota Twins. The Twins' Dan Ford hits the first home run.

Oct. 14, 1976: Chris Chambliss ninth-inning home run off Mark Littell in Game Five of the ALCS vs. Kansas City gives the Yankees their 30th pennant.

Nov. 29, 1976: Free agent Reggie Jackson signs a five-year contract.

Oct. 18, 1977: Reggie Jackson hits three home runs in Game Six of the World Series vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium.

June 16, 1978: Ron Guidry establishes a franchise record by striking out 18 batters in the Yankees' 4-0 win vs. California at Yankee Stadium.

July 24, 1978: Billy Martin resigns as manager.

July 25, 1978: Bob Lemon is named manager, replacing Billy Martin.

July 29, 1978: On Old Timer's Day, the Yankees announce that Billy Martin will return as Yankee manager in 1980 and Bob Lemon will become general manager.

Oct. 2, 1978: The Yankees, 14 games behind Boston at one point, defeat the Red Sox, 5-4, at Fenway Park in only the second playoff game in AL history. Bucky Dent's homer over the Green Monster completed the comeback, clinching the pennant for the Pinstripes.

July 4, 1983: Dave Righetti pitches only the sixth regular-season no-hitter in franchise history and the first since 1951, a 4-0 win vs. the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

July 24, 1983: The Yankees and Kansas City play the infamous "Pine Tar" game at Yankee Stadium as George Brett hits a two-out, ninth-inning home run off Goose Gossage to give the Royals an apparent 5-4 lead. The umpires nullify the homer because the pine tar on Brett's bat is above the allowable 18 inches and Brett is called out for using an illegal bat. The Yankees win 4-3 (see Aug 18, 1983).

Aug. 18, 1983: Kansas City's protest is upheld and the "Pine Tar" game concludes with the Royals winning 5-4. When play is resumed, Yankee pitcher Ron Guidry is in center field for the final out of the top of the ninth while lefthanded first baseman Don Mattingly is at second. Royals' reliever Dan Quisenberry retires the Yankees in order in the bottom of the ninth.

Apr. 28, 1985: Billy Martin is named manager for the fourth time, replacing Yogi Berra.

Oct. 17, 1985: Lou Piniella is named manager, replacing Billy Martin.

Dec. 14, 1985: Roger Maris dies at age 51 in Houston, Texas.

July 18, 1987: Don Mattingly homers off Texas' Jose Guzman to tie Dale Long's Major-League record of hitting a home run in eight consecutive games (Mattingly hits 10 home runs during the streak).

Sept. 29, 1987: Don Mattingly hits a grand slam off Boston's Bruce Hurst, setting a Major-League record with six grand slams in a season.

June 23, 1987: Billy Martin is replaced as manager of the Yankees for the fifth and final time. Lou Piniella is named manager for the second time.

May 17, 1998: David Wells tosses only the 14th regular-season perfect game in baseball history, the first ever by a Yankee.

Sept. 25, 1998: The Yankees establish an American-League record with their 112th win of the season (a 6-1 win vs. Tampa Bay at Yankee Stadium), breaking the mark of 111 by the 1954 Cleveland Indians (they complete the season with an AL record 114th victory on September 27 vs. Tampa Bay).

Oct. 21, 1998: The Yankees complete an incredible season with a four-game sweep of the San Diego Padres in the World Series to capture the franchise's 24th World Championship.Their 3-0 win gives the club a record of 125-50 (114-48 in the regular season, 11-2 in postseason).

July 18, 1999: On "Yogi Berra Day," David Cone tosses only the 15th regular-season perfect game in baseball history one season after David Wells accomplishes the feat. Coincidentially, Don Larsen--who tossed a perfect game in the 1956 World Series--throws out the ceremonial first pitch.

Oct. 27, 1999: The Yankees play Baseball's last game of the century and complete a four-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves to capture their 25th World Championship. The 4-1 win is also the club's 12th straight in World-Series play, tying the record of the 1927, 1928 and 1932 Yankees.

2000s

Oct. 26, 2000: Yankees win their 26th World Championship in 5 vs. New York Mets. It was the first "Subway Series" since 1956.

Nov. 4, 2001: In one of the most exciting editions of the World Series, the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in seven games. Luis Gonzalez lined a Series-winning single off Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning of Game 7.

Dec. 13, 2001: Jason Giambi, the runner-up in the AL MVP balloting, signs a seven-year contract with the Yankees. Giambi's deal includes a club option for an eighth year. More > Oct. 25, 2003 Florida's Josh Beckett pitches the Marlins to a 2-0 win in Game 6 of the World Series, marking the first time since 1981 that New York has been eliminated from the postseason at Yankee Stadium.

May 17, 2002: Jason Giambi hits a 14th-inning walk-off grand slam to lift the Yankees to a 13-12 win over the Minnesota Twins, joining Babe Ruth as the only Yankees in history to hit a walk-off grand slam with New York down by three runs.

Sept. 21, 2002: The Yankees defeat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 at Comerica Park to clinch their fifth straight AL East title. It is New York's sixth title in seven seasons under manager Joe Torre, their 41st overall.

Oct. 5, 2002: The Yankees drop a 9-6 decision to the eventual World Champion Anaheim Angels in Game 4 of the ALDS to lose the series, marking New York's earliest postseason exit since 1980.

June 13, 2003: Roger Clemens became the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1990 to reach the 300 mark. The Rocket also joined another fraternity on that June 13th night at Yankee Stadium, striking out the 4,000th batter of his career. Only Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136) have more strikeouts than Clemens.

Oct. 16, 2003: Aaron Boone, who didn't start the game, led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a home run to left field off Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, delivering the Yankees' 39th American League pennant in Game 7 of the ALCS, propelling the Yanks to the World Series against the Marlins.

Oct. 25, 2003: Florida's Josh Beckett pitches the Marlins to a 2-0 win in Game 6 of the World Series, marking the first time since 1981 that New York has been eliminated from the postseason at Yankee Stadium.

April 11 & 14, 2004: Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown record their 200th victories in back-to-back games, becoming the first teammates in Major League history to do so.

July 1, 2004: Derek Jeter makes a spectacular catch against the Red Sox, diving into the stands. John Flaherty wins the game with an RBI single in the 13th inning, leading New York to a three-game sweep in one of the more memorable regular-season games in the Bronx in years.

Sept. 30, 2004: Bernie Williams launches a walk-off home run against the Twins at Yankee Stadium, clinching the Yankees' seventh consecutive American League East crown, as New York advanced to the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season.

Oct. 20, 2004: After defeating the Twins in a four-game ALDS and taking a 3-0 lead over the Red Sox in the ALCS, the Yankees drop their fourth consecutive game, becoming the first team in baseball history to lose a best-of-seven series after winning the first three games.

Jan. 11, 2005: The trade to bring Randy Johnson to New York becomes official, as the Yankees deal Javier Vazquez, Brad Halsey and Dioner Navarro to Arizona for the five-time Cy Young winner. Johnson would go 17-8 in his first season with the Yankees, though he was roughed up in his one postseason start against the Angels.

April 3, 2005: Johnson and the Yankees defeat the defending World Series champion Red Sox in MLB's season opener.

May 2, 2005: New York shakes up its roster, calling up Robinson Cano to take over the starting second base job from Tony Womack, who moved to center field in place of Bernie Williams. Chien-Ming Wang is also inserted into the rotation around this time, as a youth movement helps the Yankees recover from their 11-19 start.

June 9, 2005: Alex Rodriguez bashes two home runs against the Brewers in Milwaukee, becoming the youngest player in Major League history to reach the 400-homer plateau.

Aug. 30, 2005: A-Rod hits his 40th homer of the season, becoming the first Yankees right-handed hitter since Joe DiMaggio in 1937 to reach that mark. A-Rod went on to hit 48 homers and drive in 130 runs, earning his second career AL MVP award.

Oct. 1, 2005: In the 161st game of the season, the Yankees defeat the Red Sox at Fenway Park to clinch their eighth consecutive AL East crown.

Dec. 23, 2005: The Yankees make a move to bolster their own lineup while hurting the rival Red Sox, as they sign center fielder Johnny Damon to a four-year, $52 million contract -- the same contract they gave to Hideki Matsui just a month earlier.

2006: The Yankees won their ninth consecutive AL East title in 2006, finishing with a record of 97-65, their sixth straight year with 95 or more victories. New York boasted four All-Star selections  Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano  and their powerhouse offense led the Major Leagues with 930 runs scored before an early playoff exit in the Division Series at Detroit.

2007: The Yankees secured the American League Wild Card with a record of 94-68, running their playoff streak to 13 consecutive seasons  12 under manager Joe Torre. It wasn't all smooth sailing, however: the Yankees were a season-low eight games under .500 on May 29 but went 73-39 down the stretch, leading the Majors in wins and winning percentage. Led by American League MVP Alex Rodriguez, who led the circuit with 54 home runs, 156 RBIs, 143 runs and 376 total bases, New York's 968 runs led the Majors and were the most scored by a big league team since 2000, even as the Yankees used an AL-high 28 pitchers. A-Rod, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada represented the Yankees in the All-Star Game, Chien-Ming Wang led the staff with 19 runs and Joba Chamberlain emerged as a late-season phenom before the Yankees fell in four games to the Indians in the AL Division Series.

2008: Under new manager Joe Girardi for the final season at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees' run of postseason success came to a halt, ending a string of 13 consecutive campaigns with at least a playoff appearance. Yankee Stadium hosted the All-Star Game in July, but the Yankees' own season was held back by injuries and inconsistency, managing 89 wins for third place in the AL East. The big bats of Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez were slowed, while Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera both regressed. But it was the pitching that hurt most  Chien-Ming Wang, 8-2 at the time, was lost to a foot injury in June, and the Yankees were forced to look elsewhere as prospects Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy finished winless. Mariano Rivera converted 39 of 40 save opportunities and Mike Mussina logged 20 wins for the first and last time in his big league career. Ready to look ahead, the home slate finished with an emotional sendoff in the Bronx on Sept. 21, with Derek Jeter taking the microphone behind the mound and promising to help bring the memories across the street for the new Yankee Stadium in 2009.

April 3-4, 2009: The Yankees play their first exhibition games in the current Yankee Stadium, defeating the Chicago Cubs, 7-4 and 10-1, respectively. Chien-Ming Wang tosses the first pitch in the April 3 contest.

April 16, 2009: The Yankees play the first regular season game in Yankee Stadium history, falling to Cleveland, 10-2, and snapping their all-time record 11-game home-opener winning streak. CC Sabathia tosses the Stadium's first official pitch, Johnny Damon records the first hit (first-inning single off Cliff Lee) and Jorge Posada hits the first home run (fifth-inning off Lee).

May 14 - June 1, 2009: The Yankees set an all-time Major League mark with 18 consecutive errorless games, safely handling 660 chances over the stretch.

Sept. 11, 2009: Derek Jeter breaks Lou Gehrig's all-time franchise mark of 2,721 hits with a single off Baltimore's Chris Tillman at Yankee Stadium. Gehrig had held the mark since 9/6/37.

Oct. 4, 2009: Alex Rodriguez hits a three-run home run and a grand slam in the sixth-inning of the season finale at Tampa Bay, setting an all-time AL mark with 7RBI in an inning.

Nov. 4, 2009: The Yankees win their 27th World Championship, defeating Philadelphia in Game 6 of the World Series, 7-3. Hideki Matsui ties Bobby Richardson's all-time World Series mark (1960 Game 3 vs. Pittsburgh) with 6RBI. Andy Pettitte records the win, becoming the first pitcher to start and record the win in the clinching game in all three rounds of a single postseason. Manager Joe Girardi joins Billy Martin and Ralph Houk as the only individuals in franchise history to win a World Series with the Yankees as a player and as a manger.

2010s

2010: A 28th World Series title proved to be elusive for the Yankees in 2010, a season marked by the loss of iconic principal owner George M. Steinbrenner III, longtime public-address announcer Bob Sheppard and former manager/catcher Ralph Houk. Fueled by a breakout season from Robinson Cano, who placed third in the American League MVP race, the Yankees won 95 games and grabbed the AL Wild Card spot, entering the playoffs for the 15th time in 16 years. A first-round matchup with the Twins again proved fortuitous for the Yankees, who coasted to a three-game sweep, extending their string of consecutive postseason wins over Minnesota to nine. The Texas Rangers were too strong to subdue in the AL Championship Series, however, riding the bat of ALCS MVP Josh Hamilton and the left arm of ace Cliff Lee to a decisive six-game series win over the Bronx Bombers. Not lost in the disappointment of the Yankees' postseason demise was another regular season featuring a collection of standout performances by a number of stars, including Alex Rodriguez, who became the youngest player in Major League history to hit 600 home runs when he went deep off the Blue Jays' Shaun Marcum on Aug. 4. The 2010 season was the 13th in a row in which Rodriguez recorded at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. On the mound, closer Mariano Rivera again defied logic by posting a 1.80 ERA and recording 33 saves at the age of 40. Ace CC Sabathia became a 20-game winner for the first time and struck out 197 batters for the second time in as many seasons, helping make up for the disappointing seasons posted by A.J. Burnett (5.26 ERA) and Javier Vazquez (5.32 ERA). Despite losing out on star free agents Lee and Carl Crawford after the season, the Yankees worked out a two-year contract with Rivera and fought through a somewhat tense negotiating period to re-sign captain Derek Jeter to a three-year deal.

2011: The Yankees completed the regular season with an American League-best 97 victories, but their season ended abruptly with a first-round playoff exit, suffering a five-game defeat to the Detroit Tigers. The campaign was made memorable by several individual milestones, including Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit on July 9, a home run off the Tampa Bay Rays' David Price. Mariano Rivera set the new Major League record for career saves with his 602nd on Sept. 19 against the Minnesota Twins, and on Aug. 25, the Yankees became the first team in history to hit three grand slams in a game as Robinson Cano, Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson went deep. New York overcame a rash of injuries to several key players, including Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, to secure their 16th postseason appearance in the last 17 years, helped greatly by MVP-caliber campaigns from Cano and Granderson. They led the Majors with 222 home runs, finished second with 867 runs scored and, behind ace CC Sabathia, enjoyed a breakout 16-win season from rookie Ivan Nova. Veteran starters Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia made resurgent showings after making the team in Spring Training, and New York's relievers combined for an AL-best 3.12 ERA, with David Robertson (1.08 ERA) performing exceptionally well in a setup role.

2012: The Yankees clinched the American League East for the 13th time in the last 17 seasons, riding a 95-win campaign to defeat the Orioles in a five-game AL Division Series before being swept by the Tigers in the AL Championship Series. CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Phil Hughes each topped the 15-win mark, while New York led the Majors with 245 home runs, paced by Curtis Granderson's 43. Derek Jeter led the Majors with 216 hits, Robinson Cano hit a career-high 33 homers and Rafael Soriano secured 42 saves in place of Mariano Rivera, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in May.

2013: The Yankees missed the playoffs for just the second time in the last 19 years, finishing third in the American League East with an 85-77 record, their 21st consecutive winning season. Preparing for the retirements of 'Core Four' members Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte, the club used a franchise-record 56 players, 28 of whom made their Yankees debuts. Rivera recorded 44 saves while fellow All-Star Robinson Cano led the team with a .314 average, 27 homers and 107 RBIs, securing his fourth consecutive Silver Slugger Award. Despite injuries to numerous stars, the Yankees were in first place as late as May 26 and remained in the postseason chase until mid-September. The club was sparked by the acquisition of Alfonso Soriano, who led the Majors with 17 homers and 50 RBIs from July 26 through the end of the season. That power was welcome as the Yankees had 75 games without hitting a home run, having just 31 such games in 2012. New York had a .988 fielding percentage, including turning a triple play on April 12 vs. Baltimore. Joe Girardi won his 557th game as Yankees manager on Sept. 11, surpassing Billy Martin for sixth place on the club's all-time list. Ichiro Suzuki logged his 4,000th career hit between the Majors and Japan on Aug. 21 vs. Toronto.

2014: The Yankees posted 84 wins and finished second in the American League East, posting their 22nd straight winning record but missing the playoffs for just the third time in the last 20 seasons. Derek Jeter played his 20th and final big league season, representing the club as an All-Star along with Masahiro Tanaka and Dellin Betances, the latter of whom finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting and recorded 135 strikeouts to shatter Mariano Rivera's 1996 club mark for a reliever. Tanaka led the Yankees in wins (13) and complete games (3) despite losing two months to injury. David Robertson converted 39 of 44 save opportunities after taking over Rivera's old role. Tino Martinez, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Paul O'Neill and Joe Torre were all honored in Monument Park, with Torre's No. 6 retired. Jacoby Ellsbury posted a 17-game hitting streak from May 26-June 13, the team's longest since Jeter had a 19-game mark in 2012. New York turned the 24th triple play in franchise history on April 17 at Tampa Bay (Yangervis Solarte to Brian Roberts to Scott Sizemore), and Brett Gardner hit the 15,000th home run in franchise history on Sept. 21. Racked by injuries, the Yankees called on the services of 58 different players, setting a franchise record.